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The best regional firewood trees to use in NZ
Winter is coming. Prepare to fill the fireplace with wood from the best-suited firewood trees in your neck of woods.
Growing Mexican limes in New Zealand
How to keep a lime happy, even in the cold.
Permaculture systems in your garden
Permaculture is a fancy name for all the things many of us are already doing in our orchards. Ben Gaia shares tips to get you growing more food using fewer chemicals.
Why a loquat tree might be perfect for your garden
Loquat seedlings will grow in most areas of New Zealand. The tropical fruit is delicious and the tree produces a fine hardwood.
What's better than a plum and an apricot? A pluot
Combine plums and apricots and you get the best of both fruit.
Yes, you can grow bananas in the South Island
This tropical plant is a great survivor in more places than you’d think.
The tree that attracts bees and distracts the birds in your orchard
It doesn’t bear fruit, but this little tree will vastly improve your orchard’s productivity.
How to grow guavas bursting with flavour
If you want a wonderful taste of the tropics, try this small tree.
In Your Backyard Urban Harvest: Online Extras
In Your Backyard: Urban Harvest, is a guide to growing fruit and vegetables in small gardens. We've compiled extra materials and videos here to help further your understanding of this exciting topic.
Tending to your fruit trees in March
Apple picking, branch cutting and the secret to sweet peaches. Add Ben Gaia's seven tips to March your to-do list.
Secrets to growing olives in cold weather
There’s a great way to grow olive trees even when your place gets really cold.
How to grow great raspberries
Raspberries are a great option for the lifestyle block. Ben Gaia looks at how to get the best production.
How to grow great gooseberries
The gooseberry is one of those plants which only gets better and better with age.
7 tips to growing Japanese wineberries
Don’t be afraid of trying new fruits, especially ones as delicious as this.
Grow wild strawberries
Alpine strawberries are quite easy to grow, and very hardy in marginal lands, like shady forests and snowy alpine hillsides.
6 ways to clean up sorry-looking citrus
A neglected grapefruit tree gets an organic makeover.
All about Meyer lemons PLUS lemon ice cream
Learn how to look after your citrus - and treat yourself with this yummy ice cream recipe.
Animals in your orchard
Some animals in an orchard are your friends and some are a definite no-no
At home with top company director Joan Withers
Of all the many significant achievements in her very successful business career, what does Joan Withers identify as the most important? ‘Finding the right man at 15 and then marrying him’
5 tips for growing in a tunnel house
Whether home-made or custom-designed, having a large covered area in our climate enables us to extend our range of growing times and species.
4 steps to pruning an apple tree
Haven't pruned your fruit tree in years? Here’s where to begin.
Which apple varieties are best to plant?
Apples were among the first plants that people planted on purpose.
2 secrets to getting your fruit trees through a frost
Two proven methods for helping frost-tender trees get through a big drop in temperature.
5 tips to designing the best shelter for your orchard
Sheltering your orchard is critical but that doesn't mean they can't be creative.
How to choose the right fruit species
You probably shouldn't try growing mangoes if you live in the South Island but don't give up on dreams of citrus, tamarilloes and nashi pears.
Where size really doesn't matter
Ben Gaia visits two small sections that are big on production.
When is a peach a plum?
Peacherines and nectarines are peach-plum crosses, but there's some debate as to whether they are the same thing.
Why you should give nashi pears another chance
You’ll never know the joy of a truly magical-tasting pear until you grow your own.
3 secrets to getting the best from cabbage trees
The cabbage tree is the gift that keeps on giving, if you know its secrets.
Tips for getting 20kg of tamarillos per tree
They’re fussy, but tamarillos are a tangy treat, and prolific if you know the secrets to high production.
What to do in the garden in July
Prune your berry bushes, prepare for early spring veggies and harvest chervil amd miner's lettuce.
5 organic ways to weed
You can get rid of weeds using everything from a rabbit to a steam gun (but not together).
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